BATON ROUGE, LA - Red
Stick Revelry 2016 for the New
Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Baton Rouge kicked-off the
Baton Rouge Bicentennial, a yearlong celebration of Baton Rouge’s
incorporation as a city.
Baton Rouge’s Official New
Year’s Eve celebration, now in its
fourth year, featured a 9-foot LEDlighted Red Stick that rose at noon
with activities for kids and drops at
midnight to fireworks over the Mississippi River. This year’s events
included special activities aimed
at recognizing Baton Rouge’s historical significance. For a list of
“200 Things to Do” in Baton Rouge
during the Bicentennial Year, visit
www.BatonRouge200.com.
Red Stick Revelry has made
downtown Baton Rouge a regional
destination for New Year’s Eve.
With the celebration falling on Saturday this year, downtown hotels
saw more people staying overnight
to enjoy the late-night activities.
The North Boulevard Town
Square, the Arts Council of Greater
Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge
Parish Libraries, Visit Baton Rouge
and Red Stick Revelry kicked off
the celebration with “Red Stick
Rising” at the North Boulevard
Town Square.
The entire family enjoyed
hands-on arts for the kids with
local artists, Readers Theatre,
Bloco Jacaré Samba drummers, the
dedication of a bicentennial plaque
for downtown, face painting, a fun
fitness routine for all ages, singing
of Auld Lang Syne and a special
birthday cake for Baton Rouge.
James Linden Hogg, the 2015
Louisiana State Fiddle Champion,
performed his historic songs from
the soundtrack of early America
and the red stick ascended 60 feet
above Town Square in preparation
for the evening countdown.
Red Stick Revelry emcee
Andre Moreau kicked off the
evening activities at 7 p.m. on
The Crest Stage in Galvez Plaza
with live performances by popular
local band “Bread Pudd’n” and
Red Stick Revelry favorite “Phat
Hat” taking the stage from 9 p.m.
until midnight.
WAFB-TV broadcasted live
from the event beginning at 11:35
p.m. which included the event’s
original song written by lead singer
Wendell Woods and special pyrotechnics from The Crest Stage.
In previous years, Red Stick
Revelry has drawn an estimated
See RED STICK, on page 2

ROUGE,

LOUISIANA

VOL. 41 • NO. 16 • FREE

PEOPLE’S PUBLICATION

Gaines Award
Ceremony Set
For Jan. 19 At
2017 is already looking bright for the city of Baton Rouge Manship Theatre
SHARON WESTON BROOME

Baton Rouge Has A New Mayor

Kentucky Writer
Crystal Wilkinson
Named 2016 Winner

Crystal Wilkinson

Newly sworn-in Baton Rouge Mayor, Sharon Weston Broome, addressed many concerns during her inauguration speech Monday night.
By Lara Ashley
Mayor-President Sharon
Weston Broome is taking Baton
Rouge under her wing and going
the distance with this city. Broome
is not a stranger to politics. She
was the first black woman as a
member of the Louisiana State
Senate for District 15. Now,
being the first black woman that
is mayor for Baton Rouge, she is
only adding more to her resume.

Broome’s inauguration was
one for the books on Tuesday,
January 3 at the River center.
The biggest point that she made
in her speech: that the reign of
Kip Holden is over. She pointed
out that she is looking for replacements for the CAO as well
as the Chief of Police. Broome
also talked about handling traffic, and how she wants to work
on controlling the flow. She also
mentioned about the task force for

the police department. Broome
wants more of a watchful eye
of the task force and to have the
mayor office be more hands on
with the force.
“Baton Rouge is made up of
different cloths, and I’m trying to
sew us all together.”
One of the first events that
the Mayor-President has for the
city of Baton Rouge is inviting
young girls to see the upcoming
movie, “Hidden Figures”, which is

about the black American women
who were behind the launch of
the first man on the moon. It is
a STEM outreach program that
is encouraging girls in the community to be more involved in
the STEM program, as well as
sitting down with the mayor to
give them advice about the paths
that they want to follow. There
will be about 100 girls who are
participating from grades 5th-9th.

Baton Rouge Charter Pushes to Keep 600 Students, Remain Open
When Jonathan Hage traveled to Baton Rouge following
the August flood, the Charter
School USA director’s first concerns were his teachers’ and students’ well-being. Along with his
wife and other executives, Hage
brought hope and money—each
teacher received $500. “It’s not
money. It’s love,” Sherry Hage
told the teachers. “We want you
to know that you’re loved and
cared for.”
The gesture was especially
generous for the teachers who
had lost property and possessions. Their support came as a
result of their employment at the
Baton Rouge Charter Academy at
Mid-City. “These are our teachers; these are our kids,” Jonathan
Hage said. “This is honestly the
best part about what we do.”
But now, the mid-city charter and its teachers face a formidable challenge to save the
school.
After three years with performance scores less than 40,
the Board of Elementary and

KAWHI LEONARD SCORES 25

Secondary Education denied the
charter renewal request and will
close the school under its state
charter in May 2017. Even amid
strong support for the school,

STATE & LOCAL

BESE voted against allowing
BRCA an additional year to show
improvement. BESE members
Jada Lewis and Kathey Edmonston formally objected to the clo-

RELIGION

sure. School officials have said
performance scores will raise
with more time, dedicated resources, and its new principal,
Tale’ Lockett.

BUSINESS

BATON ROUGE, LA – Ceremonies for the Baton Rouge Area
Foundation’s 10th annual Ernest J.
Gaines Award for Literary Excellence take place at 6:30 p.m. on
Thursday, Jan. 19 at the Manship
Theatre at the Shaw Center for
the Arts. Kentucky writer Crystal
Wilkinson will accept the honor
for her novel, “Birds of Opulence.”
Doors open at 6 p.m. The ceremony is free and open to the public,
though reservations are requested
at rsvp@braf.org. Previous Gaines
award winner Mitchell Jackson will
serve as master of ceremonies.
The Gaines Award is a nationally acclaimed, $10,000 annual
prize created by Baton Rouge
Area Foundation donors to recognize outstanding work from rising
African-American fiction writers
while honoring Ernest Gaines’
extraordinary contribution to the
literary world.
Wilkinson will read from her
novel, which was selected by a national panel of judges. The story follows several generations of women
in the Goode-Brown family in the
fictional Southern black township of
Opulence. The family is plagued by
mental illness and illegitimacy, and
the accompanying embarrassment.
As younger generations watch their
mothers and grandmothers die, they
fear going mad and fight to survive.
Wilkinson earned a journalism degree from Eastern Kentucky
University in 1985. She serves as
writer in residence at Berea College
in Kentucky. “Birds of Opulence”
is her first novel, though many of
her works have garnered critical acclaim. “Blackberries, Blackberries,”
a collection of short stories, won
the 2002 Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature. “Water Street,”
another short-story collection, was
a finalist for the Hurston-Wright
Legacy Award and the U.K.’s Orange Prize for Fiction.
Also during the Jan. 19 ceremonies, winners of the elementary,
middle and high school writers’
competition will be recognized.
A native of Louisiana’s Pointe
Coupee Parish, Gaines’ critically acclaimed novel “The Autobiography
See AWARD, on page 2

SULC faculty, staff and other supporters, as well as members of the
Southern University System Board
of Supervisors attended the Southern University Law Center’s 2016
Christmas Reception...Page 3

IS IT HALF EMPTY
OR HALF FULL?

Many things in life have me in a
tangle of confusion. I try to put on
a good face so that nobody knows
how confused I am at the time. I
think I get away with it, at least
most of the time...See Page 4

GAS PRICES ON
THE RISE IN BR

The average retail gas prices in
Baton Rouge have increased 1.9
cents per gallon since last week, according to a survey from gasbuddy.
com. Out of 361 gas outlets surveyed, the average price per gallon
is $2.11..See Page 5

The office is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. Monday - Friday and located
at 1283 Rosenwald Road, Baton
Rouge, Louisiana.
Correction Policy
The Baton Rouge Weekly Press
strives to be fair and accurate. The
newspaper corrects any significant
errors of fact brought to the attention
of the editor. If you think an error
has been made, call 225-775-2002

The Weekly Press
Newspaper is a published weekly in Baton Rouge and
distributed every Thursday with a circulation of 7,500.
Subscription rates are $65.00 per year for Louisiana
residents; $72.00 for one year for out-of-state residents;
half price for six months subscription: and $1.00 per
single copy.
All money orders or checks should be made payable
to The Weekly Press, P.O. Box 74485, Baton Rouge,
La. 70874

Blanc and Probation and Parole Director Pete Fremin addressed the
graduates as well as the Honorable
Scott U. Schlegel, 24th Judicial District Judge, who also administered
the oath of office.
The new officers will work
in districts across Louisiana. During the ceremony, the Department
recognized the efforts of a few
cadets who excelled in various
areas. Baily Carte of the Shreveport District earned the Physical
Fitness Award, Chelsea Laurent
of Baton Rouge District achieved
the Academic Award, and Jeffrey
Kelly of the Natchitoches District
received the Top Gun Award.
DPS&C’s P.O.S.T. certified

P&P officers supervise approximately 80,000 individuals on probation and/or parole across the state,
emphasizing public safety while
also helping the individual access
resources that will aid in his/her
efforts to become a productive
member of society rather than a
tax burden.
Probation and Parole officers
also routinely assist local, state and
federal authorities with investigations and information, including
the crime prevention initiatives in
Baton Rouge and New Orleans as
well as various law enforcement
task forces.
Congratulations to the P&P
P.O.S.T Academy Class #36.

Award from page 1
of Miss Jane Pittman” was adapted
into a made-for-TV movie that won
nine Emmy awards. His novel “A
Lesson Before Dying,” published
in 1993, won the National Book
Critics Circle Award for fiction.
Gaines is a 2013 recipient
of the National Medal of Arts, a
recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s Genius Grant, a recipient
of the National Humanities Medal
and a member of the French Ordre
des Arts et des Lettres.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is among more than 700
community foundations in the
country. The Foundation works in
two ways to improve the quality
of life in Baton Rouge and across
south Louisiana. The Foundation
and its fund donors grant about $30

million each year to nonprofits.
As well, the Foundation takes on
projects to improve the capacity
of nonprofits, solve fundamental
problems and build gathering places
for all people. Our current projects
include improving autism services
in the Baton Rouge metropolitan
region and master planning for the
Baton Rouge lakes. With Commercial Properties Realty Trust, the
Foundation is building the Water
Campus. Rising on 35 acres outside downtown Baton Rouge, the
campus will provide labs and space
for scientists and engineers working on the double peril of coastal
erosion and rising seas across the
Gulf Coast and the world.
For more information, please
visit BRAF.org

Members Of The New East
Baton Rouge Metro Council
Were Sworn In Monday
Most of the twelve-member
council returned for another term,
though there were three new
faces. Matt Watson, who once
served as the legislative assistant for Ryan Heck, replaced his
former boss.
Barbara Freiberg, who
worked as an educator for more
than four decades, replaced John
Delgado after his failed campaign
for Mayor-President. She is also
a former member of the parish
school board. “I’m excited for
our community, this is an exciting day with new leadership,”
Freiberg said. “I’m excited about
bringing education into the conversation with the metro council
to see how we can work together
with the school system to make
things better.”
The third new member,
businessman Dwight Hudson, replaced his Joel Boe in the council.
While he took the oath, he held
one hand in the air while cradling
his young daughter Sarah with
the other. “My goal in running
was that one day Sarah would
want to raise her family here in
East Baton Rouge Parish ... to
have her be a part of it was really
something special,” Hudson said.
The council selected Scott
Wilson to serve as Mayor ProTempore. He beat out two other
nominees: Councilmembers
Tara Wicker and Donna Collins-Lewis. “We have to work
together; we have a new administration in mayor-elect Sharon
Weston Broome. And you have
new members on the council.
You have to work together,”
said Wilson, who is currently
in his third term representing
the Central area.
Several big hurdles await
the council as they enter this new
term, including the impending
ruling from the U.S. Department
of Justice on the Alton Sterling
investigation, as well as the ongoing flood recovery efforts.
“You had people who lost
everything, they lost everything.
Here you are four months later
some people haven’t even
touched their homes probably,”
Wilson said.
Members of the new council
were sworn in in order by district
number that they will represent.
Members include:
• Trae Welch representing
District 1 covering the northern
part of the parish, including the
city of Zachary and Northern
parts of the Cities of Baker and

Central.
• Chauna Banks of District
2, which includes most of Baker,
Alsen, Scotlandville, Beechwood, Brownsfield, and north
of Hooper Road to the Comite
River.
• Chandler Loupe of District 3 covering southeast Baton
Rouge which includes portions of
Perkins Rd., Bluebonnet Blvd.,
Burbank Dr., Siegen LN, Nicholson Dr., and Brightside Dr.
• Scott Wilson of District 4
which includes the city of Central
• Erika L. Green of District
5 covering Glenn Oaks, Mickens
Rd., and portions of Joor Rd.,
N. Sherwood Forest Dr., and
Greenwell Springs Rd.
• Donna Collins-Lewis of
District 6, which covers areas
from Sherwood Forest Blvd. to
Elain to N Ardenwood.
• LaMont Cole of District 7
including areas of North Baton
Rouge between Airline Hwy and
Plank Rd.
• Buddy Amoroso of District 8 which includes South
Old Hammond Highway to the
North, O’Neil Lane to the East,
Old Jefferson/Tiger Bend to the
South, including areas between
Coursey Boulevard and Airline
Highway and South Sherwood
Forest Boulevard to the West.
• Dwight Hudson of District
9 located in the southeast portion
of East Baton Rouge Parish and
is bordered on the east by the
Amite River and Bayou Manchac
and on the west by Pecue Lane,
Jones Creek, and O’Neal Lane.
• Tara Wicker of District 10
covering south Baton Rouge including areas from Gourrier Ave.
to portions of Scenic Hwy and
Airline Hwy.
• Matt Watson of District
11 which includes portions of
Government Street and the Jefferson Highway corridor to Siegen
Lane.
• Barbara Freiberg of
District 12 which includes the
Kenilworth, Magnolia Woods,
Pollard, Highland Creek, Southdowns and Valley Park neighborhoods.
Wilson was selected as
President Pro-Tempore, having
been elected by fellow Council
Members.
The swearing in comes just
hours before the inauguration of
newly elected Mayor-President
Elect Sharon Weston Broome
which will be held in the same
theater.

Red Stick from page 1
20,000 people celebrating downtown for the midnight drop of the
Red Stick from above the North
Boulevard Town Square.
For more information on

how to get involved with Red
Stick Revelry: email us at info@
redstickrevelry.com or contact
us through Facebook.com/RedStickRevelry.

Largegroup.jpg-- Pictured from left: President and Chairman Emeritus Southern University System Board
of Supervisors Leon Tarver; Judge Freddie Pitcher, Jr., former SULC Chancellor; Carla Ball, administrative
assistance in the Office of Communications and Development Support; Jeremiah Owens; Rachel L. Emanuel;
Lawryn Owens; Judge Ramona L. Emanuel; Gwendolyn West, and Chancellor John K. Pierre
BATON ROUGE, LA - SULC
faculty, staff and other supporters,
as well as members of the Southern University System Board of
Supervisors attended the Southern University Law Center’s 2016
Christmas Reception.
Chancellor John K. Pierre
recognized retirees Berryl Gordon-Thompson, assistant vice
chancellor for academic support
programs and counseling and
Rachel L. Emanuel, director of
communications and development
support. Gordon-Thompson could
not attend the event.
Emanuel begin her service to
Southern University as director of
publications and electronic media
in 1992 and joined SULC in 1998.
She has 33 years of service to the
State of Louisiana including tenures at the Louisiana Department of
Urban and Community Affairs and
Louisiana State University Office
of Public Relations.

Emanuel and Chancellor Pierre with retirement plaque.jpg: Rachel L.
Emanuel was recognized for her 18 years of service to the Southern
University Law Center upon her retirement, effective December 30, 2016.

Celebrating 15 Years Of National Mentoring Month
Big Buddy Program launches campaign to engage
mentoring volunteers throughout January
BATON ROUGE, LA –
January is National Mentoring
Month, and this year our local Big
Buddy Program is celebrating 15
years of the mentoring movement
and expanding quality mentoring
opportunities to connect more of
our community’s young people
with caring adults. To that end,
2e will host an awards ceremony
to recognize groups & organizations exhibiting mentoring in the
Baton Rouge community.
“Over the past fifteen years,
mentoring has gained so much
momentum, in large part due
to National Mentoring Month.
Mentoring is a critical part of
developing positive relationships
within our community –mentoring is proven to have a positive
effect on academic, social, and
economic outcomes for our
young people,” said Big Buddy
Executive Director Gaylynne
Mack.
In Baton Rouge, we believe
that every child is in need of a
Mentor. We are looking for people to get involved by stepping up
to make a difference in a child’s
life. We are specifically making
a call for male Mentors to help
us mentor the male youth in the
community.
Research shows that Men-

tors can play a powerful role in
providing young people with
the tools to make responsible
choices, attend and engage in
school, and reduce or avoid risky
behavior like drug use. In turn,
these young people are:
·
55% more likely to be
enrolled in college
·
81% more likely to
report participating regularly in
sports or extracurricular activities.
·
78% more likely to
volunteer regularly in their communities.
·
More than twice as
likely to say they held a leadership position in a club or sports
team.

Yet, the same research shows
that 9 million young people in our
country will grow up without a
Mentor. Today, in our community
there are many kids who could
benefit from having a Mentor.
National Mentoring Month
each January allows for unique
engagement from community
members interested in becoming a Mentor. This year, with the
support of the mentoring community, we are encouraging the
public to go beyond just digital engagement – and become
involved in making a real life
impact. Mentoring relationships
are at their best when connecSee MENTORING, on page 5

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Many things in life have me
in a tangle of confusion. I try to
put on a good face so that nobody
knows how confused I am at the
time. I think I get away with it, at
least most of the time.
The only person I cannot
fool is the Gracious Mistress of
the Parsonage. According to her
evaluation, I am confused all the
time. I would like to set her straight
sometime but I am really confused
as to when would be the right time.

There is one thing, despite my
professional confusion; I have not
been able to understand. And it just
bugs me to no end. “Is that cup half
full or half empty?”
For some reason I just cannot
get that out of my head and it has
confused me like nothing else in
my life.
If, for example, a cup is halffull is it not also half-empty? And,
if it is half-empty is it also half-full?
I do not know if this is intentional confusion or it is not
supposed to make any sense at all.

I think “the half empty/half
full” scenario is just for plain ordinary fools. In my experience, I
have never met a half fool. Either
they are all fool or they are not a
fool at all. Just when you think you
met a half-fool, they spiral into a
complete fool. There is a question
whether any fool can be complete
or not, but that is too confusing
for me.
If I wanted to get out of the
confusion syndrome, all I have to

do is approach my wife and say,
“I don’t understand this, could you
explain it to me?” After that, I am
too confused to really understand
that I am confused about it at all.
Thanks, of course, to my wife who
is confused about nothing that I
know.
Perhaps that is the primary
difference between a husband and
wife. The husband is afflicted with
the confusion syndrome and the
See EMPTY OR FULL, on page 5

CHURCH DIRECTORY

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting one
another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. - Hebrews 10:25
GREATER ST. PAUL
BAPTIST CHURCH
3711 Hwy 1 South • Port Allen, LA 70767
Church: 225.302.5062
Home: 225.654.8947 • Cell: 225.572.7036

Mentoring from page 3
tions are made between a caring
adult and a young person who
knows that someone is there to
help guide them through those
real life decisions.
Big Buddy Program’s mission is to provide access to positive role models and learning experiences to children who lack
these resources through the Big
Buddy/Little Buddy mentoring
programs, character education
and leadership sessions, quality
out of school activities such as
after school programs, holiday
camps and summer enrichment
pro¬grams, teen programs that
develop literacy skills through
self-expression and creative writing, and numerous other direct
services.
Other important dates for
this public awareness campaign
that activate on social media include:
• January 11, 2017: Big
Buddy Program New Mentor
Orientation, 10:00am-12:00pm
at 1415 Main Street, Baton
Rouge, LA 70802. Go towww.
bigbuddyprogram.org to complete your application today and
receive information about your
confirmation.
• January 12, 2017: “I Am a
Mentor Day,” a day for volunteer
Mentors to celebrate their role
and reflect on the ways mentees
have enhanced their world and
share their stories about being
a Mentor on social media using
#MentorIRL.
• January 14, 2017: Big
Buddy/Little Buddy Weekend
Activity. Call Big Buddy Program, 225-388-9737, to find out
how you can get involved in the
Community Day Event with Big
Buddy Program.
• January 16, 2017: Martin
Luther King Jr. Day of Service,
a day to share in the inspirational
words of MLK, Jr. and elevate
the spirit of service through volunteerism.
• January 17, 2017: International Mentoring Day, a day of

international conversations on
social media where photos,
video and messages to share
powerful mentoring stories.
• January 19, 2017:
“Thank Your Mentor Day,”
a day for all who have real
life mentoring experiences to
thank those who helped them
on their path to adulthood and
beyond when we encourage
anyone who has had a Mentor
to say thank you by sending
a note, a card or sharing a
story on social media using
#MentorIRL.
• January 21, 2017: Big
Buddy Program New Mentor Orientation, 10:00am12:00pm at 1415 Main Street,
Baton Rouge, LA 70802. Go
towww.bigbuddyprogram.org
to complete your application
today and receive information
about your confirmation.
• January 26, 2017: Big
Buddy Program presents
the Mentoring in Real Life
Awards Ceremony. We are
honoring selected groups &
organizations that have exhibited mentoring in a way
that has impacted in our community.
To learn more about
the role mentoring plays in
our community and to find
volunteer opportunities visit
www.bigbuddyprogram.org,
225-388-9737.
Big Buddy Mentoring
Director Kristen Lizana at
225.388.9737; or by e-mail
at this address kristen@bigbuddyprogram.org.
For additional information, please contact Lana
Sonnier Venable with ExxonMobil Baton Rouge in the
Public & Government Affairs
office at 225.977.7031.

Gas Prices On The Rise In Baton Rouge 24th Annual

Education
Conference on
Alzheimer’s
Disease and
Dementia

BATON ROUGE, LA— The
average retail gas prices in Baton
Rouge have increased 1.9 cents per
gallon since last week, according
to a survey from gasbuddy.com.
Out of 361 gas outlets surveyed, the average price per gallon
is $2.11. That’s 23 cents less than
the national average.
Although gas prices are increasing, the average price per
gallon has gradually decreased
since 2011.
Costco Wholesale on Monday morning remained the sole
Lafayette outlet selling gasoline
for less than $2 a gallon at the
pump, according to GasBuddy.
com, a consumer website.
The retailer, located near the
intersection of Kaliste Saloom and
Ambassador Caffery Parkway, was
selling gasoline for $1.98 for a
gallon of unleaded late Monday
morning. Two Evangeline Thruway outlets, RaceTrac and Super 1
Foods, were next cheapest at $2.03.
Statewide, the average price of

gasoline in Louisiana was $2.13 a
gallon Monday morning, 20 cents
lower than the national average of
$2.33. Prices reflected an upward
trend that began in late November,
when OPEC — the Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries —
agreed to curb crude oil production
for the first time in two years, sending gas prices spiraling upward.
Among the states, Louisiana
gas prices were fourth-lowest for
price on Monday. Gasoline inventories were down slightly in the
Gulf Coast region, but declines
in supply generally promote price
increases.
Refinery output in the Gulf
Coast region was highest in the
country; the federal Energy Information Administration reported
production utilization at 94.8
percent.
GasBuddy reported last week
that 9 percent of gas stations in the
U.S. were selling gas for less than
$2; last year, more than 70 percent
were selling gas below $2 at this

Empty or Full from page 4
wife knows how to unconfused
her husband. She has a remedy,
according to her, that will cure him
immediately.
At my present junction in life,
I do not know if I am really confused or not. It is rather a confusing
aspect to think about right now. Am
I confused or am I not confused. If
I am confused, what are the symptoms? If I am not confused, how
will I know?
Perhaps the most comforting
aspect of life, at least for someone
my age, is knowing you are confused, accept it and get on with
life. Nothing is more satisfying
in life then knowing what you are
and being able to accept yourself
as you are and then enjoy the rest
of your life.
With so much to do in the
world today, it is always comfort-

time of year. GasBuddy said
prices may fall by midmonth,
when retailers begin to sell off
their cheaper, winter-grade supply of gasoline in preparation
for arrival of more expensive
summer-grade gasoline.
The national average
price was up 5.5 cents over
last week, 17.7 cents over
last month and 34.6 cents
over last year. In Louisiana,
prices were up 6 cents over
last week, 15.4 cents over last
month and 37.9 cents over
last year, when the average
price for a gallon of regular
gas in Louisiana was $1.75
a gallon.

Dementia, Teepa

BATON ROUGE, LA - Voice
for Dementia, Teepa Snow is one of
the world’s leading advocates and
educators for anyone living with
dementia. Teepa’s philosophy is
reflective of her education, work
experience, medical research, and
first-hand caregiving experiences.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
from 8:00 AM - 4:30pm at The
Belle of Baton Rouge.
*Registrations now open
Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities available contact Kristi
at (225) 334-7494 or coordinator@
alzbr.org

Wilson-Wooddale
Funeral Home Appoints
New Managers

ing to know that there is something
you do not have to do. I like what
the apostle Paul said. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father
by him” (Colossians 3:17).
In the midst of all your supposed confusion, sit back, take a
deep breath and give thanks to God
for his grace in accepting you as
you are.
Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor
of the Family of God Fellowship,
Ocala, FL 34483, where he lives
with the Gracious Mistress of the
Parsonage. Telephone 1-866-5522543, e-mail jamessnyder2@att.
net.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Wilson-Wooddale Funeral
Home (http://www.wilsonwooddalefh.com) announced, that
Charles Pattman has joined the firm as General Manager and
Kay Stewart has joined the firm as Administrative Manager.
Charles Pattman comes to the firm with a wealth of experience. He has been a licensed funeral director and embalmer
for more than 30 years, having most recently served for the
past eight years as Manager of Winnfield Funeral Home
in Baton Rouge. He is a 1984 graduate of Gupton Jones
Mortuary College in Atlanta.
Kay Stewart has been serving families in the Baton
Rouge area for more than 30 years. She has served in numerous leadership roles at Winnfield Funeral Home in Baton
Rouge and has been a licensed funeral director since 1986.
She graduated from Northwestern High School in Zachary,
Louisiana and studied at Baton Rouge Community College
and Southern University A & M College.
Gerald E. Wilson, Chairman and owner of Wilson-Wooddale said, “ We are extremely excited about adding these
two exceptional funeral service professionals to our team at
Wilson-Wooddale. I have known both Kay and Charles for
more than 20 years and have always been impressed with the
care and attention, which they demonstrate to families. With
their addition to our team, we now have full time funeral
service professionals with more than 75 years of experience
serving families in the Baton Rouge area.”
Wilson-Wooddale Funeral Home is located at 1553
Wooddale Boulevard. The funeral home offers a full range
of funeral and cremation services. Wilson-Wooddale is a
sister company of Southern Memorial Gardens Cemetery
located at 3012 Blount Road across from the Baton Rouge
International Airport.

Page 6 • The

Weekly Press • Thursday, January 5, 2016

Saints Face Off
for First Time
This Season
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa
Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans
Saints are rare division rivals to
have still not played each other
this season.
As they face off twice in three
weeks, there’s much on the line,
especially for the streaking Buccaneers, who have won four straight
to move into playoff contention.
“This is a big game for both
teams because of the way the scheduling falls, where New Orleans
plays us twice and Atlanta once in
the last three weeks,” Buccaneers
coach Dirk Koetter said Wednesday.
“We have three division games in
the last four weeks, so that makes
this game — the way our division
is so tight right now, these division
games are huge.
“Us and Atlanta sitting there at
7-5, New Orleans at 5-7, just do the
math for New Orleans and we’re
not too far ahead. So it’s going to
be huge.”
The Saints (5-7) lost 28-13 at
home to Detroit on Sunday, which
put them two games behind the Buccaneers, who are tied with Atlanta
for the NFC South lead.
Not only does New Orleans
play Tampa Bay twice, but it also
plays at Atlanta, so there’s a sense
of controlling its fate, even if the
odds are unlikely at this point.
“We’ve just got to play this
one,” Saints coach Sean Payton
said Wednesday. “But I think we’re
going to play Tampa twice here in
three weeks, we’re going to play
Atlanta and we’re going to play at
Arizona. We are going to have to
play well on the road because three
of the four are on the road.
“I think when the schedule
comes out, sometimes you get,
it’s unique to be playing a team in
your division or not have played
them when you hit December and
that’s the case with our two teams.”

SPORTS

Kawhi Leonard Scores 25 As
Spurs Throttle Raptors, 110-82

Lady Jags fall to Texas Southern in OT

BATON ROUGE, LA - Artavia Ford sent the game to overtime
with a basket in the closing seconds
and scored a game-high 27 points
to lead Texas Southern to a comefrom-behind 77-71 SWAC win at
Southern Wednesday night.
Cortnei Purnell led four Lady
Jags in double figures with 18
points, but Southern let a 10-point

37-27 halftime lead slip away on
its home floor.
Joyce Kennerson added 23
points for the Lady Tigers, including
11-of-13 on free throws, as TSU
outscored Southern by 24-11 at the
line, making 24-of-30 compared to
just 11-of-13 for Southern.
Briana Green added 15 points
for the home team.

Sears from page 5
Kawhi Leonard had 25 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 and the Spurs beat Toronto 110-82 on Tuesday night,
holding the Raptors to their lowest score of the season.

SAN ANTONIO - Kawhi
Leonard had 25 points, LaMarcus
Aldridge added 23 and the San
Antonio Spurs beat Toronto 11082 on Tuesday night, holding the
Raptors to their lowest score of
the season.
San Antonio dominated a
matchup of teams with the second-best record in each conference, leading by as many as 34
points.
Leonard and Aldridge combined to shoot 19 for 28 from
the field, but it was veteran point
guard Tony Parker who set the
tone for the Spurs.
Parker finished with 15
points and eight assists in 23
minutes.
After scoring the game’s
opening basket on a floater,
Parker drove the lane and tossed
the ball out to Aldridge and Pau
Gasol for mid-range jumpers and

to Danny Green for a 3-pointer.
The Spurs raced to a 26-10
lead in the opening eight minutes,
and the Raptors never recovered.
DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 26 points, but backcourt mate Kyle Lowry was held
to six on 2-for-9 shooting.
San Antonio fizzled when
Parker exited for rest, going
scoreless for 5:13 bridging the
first and second quarters.
Parker’s return helped set
up three straight dynamic plays
that put the Raptors on their heels
and gave the Spurs their largest
lead at 54-32 with 2:28 left in
the first half.
Green’s steal and halfcourt pass led to a one-handed,
breakaway dunk for Leonard that
revved up the sold-out crowd.
Parker dribbled around his
back on the run to lose Lowry
at the top of the 3-point line, got

DeRozan to leap in the paint
and then whipped a pass to the
left corner for a 3-pointer from
Leonard.
Parker then passed under
the basket to Aldridge, who
tossed it out to Leonard. He
faked a shot, dribbled, reset and
made a 3 for a 22-point lead.
The Raptors shot 37 percent from the field while failing
to reach 90 points for the first
time this season.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Toronto is winless against the NBA’s top three
teams, losing three games to
Cleveland and two to Golden
State before falling to San Antonio. . The Raptors scored a
previous season-low 91 points
in three games, with the most
recent being Dec. 29 at Phoenix. . F Patrick Patterson missed
his second straight game with
a strained left knee. . Toronto
last won in San Antonio on Dec.
28, 2007.
Spurs: Leonard has scored
in double figures in 67 straight
games. Tim Duncan, who retired after last season, holds the
franchise record with 75 in a
row from 2005-06. . Aldridge
has 12 3-pointers in 31 games
this season, the second-highest
total of his career. Aldridge had
37 in 2015, his final season in
Portland. . San Antonio matched
the third-best start after 35
games in franchise history at
28-7. The team’s best start was
29-6, set in 2011 and matched
last season.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host the Utah
Jazz on Thursday night.
Spurs: At the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.

Southern Men
Fall 82-74 To
Texas Southern

BATON ROUGE, LA The rough start to the season
for the Southern Jaguars continued Wednesday night at the
FG Clark Center, losing to Texas
Southern 82-74 before 622 fans.
The Jaguars fall to 5-10
overall with the setback and
1-1 in SWAC play.
The Tigers were paced
by Zach Lofton, who scored a
game-high 22 points and hit 14of-15 shots from the free throw
line. Southern was led by Trelun
Banks and Rashad Andrews,
who each scored 19 points.
The Jaguars led 33-30 at
halftime, but Texas Southern got
hot in the second half, hitting
57 percent of its shots after the
break to pull away. Demontrae
Jefferson also had a strong game
for the Tigers, scoring 18 points,
while also taunting Southern
fans after some of his buckets.
The Jaguars out rebounded
the Tigers 40-30 and their bench
outscored the Tigers 23-7, but
it still didn’t lead to a victory.
Next up for Southern head coach
Roman Banks and his squad is
a trip to the Grambling Tigers
on Saturday